Mounting for artificial teeth



y 16, 1929- J. K. BISHOP 1,720,880

MOUNTING FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH Filed Oct. 18. 1926 20 INVENTOR JOHN K. BISHOP wzMewf ATTORNEY Patented July 16, 1929;

UNITED STATES JOHN x. nrsnor, or LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MOUNTING FOR ARTIFICIAL TEETH.

Application filed October 18, 1926. Serial No. 142,402.

My invention is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 27,562, filed May 2, 1925, and it relates to mountings for artificial teeth as used in crown and bridge work, and

in other forms of dental restoration, and the purpose of my invention is the provision of a mounting which effects in a simple, eflicacious, and inexpensive manner the securing and rigid locating of an artificial tooth in 0 proper position between adjacent teeth of a mouth and in such manner as to produce an artificial tooth of great strength, one capable of being replaced, and a tooth having a porcelain incisal cervical and occlusal portion.

I will describe only two forms of mountings for artificial teeth embodying my invention and will then point out the-novel features thereof in claims.

p In the accompanying drawings;

Figure 1 is a view showing in horizontal section one form of mounting embodying my invention in applied position;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the a 2 line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing a modified form of mounting embodying my invention;

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the head .and dowel embodied in the mounting shown in the preceding views;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line55 of Figure 2;

, Figure 6 is a view showing the artificial tooth of Figure 2 in perspective.

Referring specifically to the drawings, in which similar reference characters refer to simila'rcparts in each of the views, my inven tion in its present embodiment comprises a head 15 shown in Figure 2 which is of a form corresponding to the lingual or palatal surfaces of the teeth to which it is applied with the upper and lower walls '15 and 15 converging from the outer side so that the head is substantially trapezoidal shape in vertical section. This head may be formed of any suitable material such as metal or the like and is adapted to be soldered or otherwise socured to inlays 16' or other anchorages,the latter being of conventional form and secured in sockets 17 formed in adjacent natural teeth 18.

Secured to the head 15 is a dowel 19 of ovate form as when viewed Figure 1. and of.

.- bent upon itself to provide portions 19 oppositely curved longitudinally, while one of its ends is arranged in divergent relation and embedded in thehead 15, asclearly shown in Figure 1.' The strip comprising the dowel is formed of resilient metal in order that the ovate portion of the dowel can be constricted or contracted to permit of its insertion-into a pocket 20 of an artificial tooth 21. As clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, the artificial tooth 21 is formed at one side with a socket 22 corresponding in shape to that of the head 15 so thetooth to the mouth.

, In practice, the divergent ends of the dowel 19 are embedded and thus secured in the head 15 in casting the latter. soldered to the inlays 16; then the latter are applied to the natural teeth 18 so as to support the head in bridging relation to the teeth and in such manner that the dowel 19 extends outwardly and downwardly from the anterior side of the head. The pocket 20 of the artificial tooth 21 is now filled with cement or other suitable plasticmaterial and immediately applied to the dowel, with the latter injected through the restricted mouth of the pocket. As the dowel passes into the pocket, the restricted mouth thereof operates to force the two portions of metal 19 into contiguous relation, thereby constricting or contracting The head in turn isthe ovate form of the dowel sufficiently to allow the complete insertion of the dowel into the pocket.

With the pocket filled with cement, it will be understood that during this operation the twoportions 19 are first contracted and then expanded to their normal spaced relation, thereby forcing the cement from the outer sides of the portions to their inner sides so as to fill the void between the portions. In this manner a body of cement is interposed between the portions to maintain the latter in fully expanded position andto preserve the ovate form of the dowel whereby the dowel is permanently retained within the pocket, thereby rigidly securing the artificial tooth upon the head 15. During the insertion of the dowel into the pocket a partial vacuum is formed between the portions 19 and in order to insure the proper and complete filling of the dowel with cement, the portions 19 are formed with openings 19 through which the semi-liquid cement can pass from the outer sides of the portions to the inner sides.

By virtue of the fact that the pocket 20 extends downwardly into the incisal or occlusal portion of the tooth, it will beclear that the dowel occupies-a corresponding position In this positiontheidowel serves to reinforce the incisal or occlusal portion of the; tooth so as to present a tooth of great strength to successfully withstand the great pressures to which it is subjected. Due to the inclined position of the dowel, any pressure exerted upwardly or downwardly on. the tooth tends to tighten the dowel within the pocket, and any stress exerted on the dowel is reinforced by the substantial head 15. The association of the head 15 with the artificial tooth also tends to reinforce the tooth and secure the head in fixed relation to the tooth.

In applying the tooth to the dowel it is necessary to tilt the tooth and in this. position the tooth is moved to pass the socket 22 across the pointed end of the dowel when the dowel will readily locate the pockets. By reference to Figure 2, it will be seen that the cervical angle of the dowel is rounded as indicated at 20*, and likewise the corresponding angle of the pocket is rounded. Because of these rounded portions the dowel can be compressed in a longitudinal direction until its greatest width has entered the socket, when.

the pushing home of the dowel can be effected .by an oblique movement of the tooth. This permits the easy application of the tooth to the dowel and at the same time eliminates the danger of splitting the tooth.

Another important feature of my invention I is that the dowel holds the cement in a continuous band of metal and even should the cement become granular and the metal lose its rigidity, the cement could not be withdrawn from the pocket without breaking the dowel or porcelain, either of which would be almost impossible. This allows the dowel to be made of semi-rigid metal or metal having a low degree of rigidity, thereby securing a high degree of tensile strength to effectively withstand longitudinal stresses. The outer surface of-the dowel is continually in contact with the inner surface of the pocket and hence does not eject any more cement than is occupied by the solid contents of the dowel, thus filling the entire interior of the dowel.

In Figure 3 I have shown my mounting applied to an artificial incisor tooth. In this adaptation it is possible to employ a cervical extension of porcelain as the case may require to secure the most sanitary and esthetic results. In the use of the dowel 20 is it not necessary to depend on that portion of porce lain lying palatal or lingual to the edge of the dowel as it is held by that deeper portion of porcelain lyin lingual to the greatest width of the dowdl.

Although I have herein shown and described only two forms of mountingsfor artificial teeth embodying my invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, the head 15 may be provided with two or more dowels 19 and the tooth 21 formed with two or more pockets 20 in which the dowels are received and locked by cement in the manner previously described.

I claim:

1. A tooth having a socket extending across one side of the tooth and inclined in the direction of the incisal edge of the tooth, and a pocket extending from the bottom of the socket and also inclined in the direction of the incisal edge, a head fitted to the socket,

- and a dowel secured to the head and extending to the bottom of said pocket so that when the pocket is previously filled with cement the dowel will have interlocking engagement with the tooth when cement is set, the pocket being of rhombic form in a labio palatal direction and ovoid in a mesio distal direction, and the dowel of a corresponding form as the pocket to lie contiguous to the walls of the pocket.

2. A tooth as embodied in claim 1 wherein the dowel is formed with openings in the Walls thereof to facilitate the passage of cement into the dowel.

3. A tooth having a trapezoidal socket extending transversely of thelingual orpalatal surface of the tooth, a pocket extending from the bottom of the socket into the incisal or occlusal portion of the tooth and shaped to define a' rhomb in longitudinal vertical section and an oval in longitudinal horizontal section,'a head of a form corresponding to that of the socket and insertable transversely therein, and a dowel fixed to the head and of a form corresponding to that. of the pocket, said dowel being formed of resilient material to permit contraction thereof and thus allow its insertion into the pocket, said pocket being adapted to contain cement so that when the dowel is inserted and the cement set a solid body will be formed in the dowel to lock the latter against removal from the pocket.

4. A tooth as embodied in claim 3, wherein the dowel is formed from a single length of IIpatgrial having its ends embedded in the 5. A tooth as embodied in claim 3, wherein the dowel is formed from a single length of material having its ends embedded in the head, and holes are formed in the material labial to the greatest width of the dowel.

6.. A tooth having a socket therein, a pocket extending inwardly from the socket and of ovate form, a head in the socket, and a hollow dowel of ovate form in outline constructed of resilient material to contract when inserting the dowel into the pocket and to expand after insertion to cause cement previously inserted into the pocket to fill the dowel and when set to lock the dowel within the pocket, the dowel forming a continuous band around the cement to prevent removal of the latter from the pocket.

7 A tooth having a trapezoidal socket transverse its medial portion inclined in the direction of its incisal edge in incisors and in the direction of the buccal cusp in molars and bicnspids, and a pocket extending in the same general direction from the labial or buccal wall of the socket and into the incisal portion of incisors and into the bucco-occlusal portion of molars and bicuspids, said pocket being of rhomboidal form in a labio-palatal direction with the labio-cervica-l angle thereof roundedand ovoid in a mesio-distal direction.

8. A tooth having a trapezoidal socket transverse its medial portion inclined in the direction of its incisal edge in incisors and in the direction of the buccal cusp in molars and bicuspids, a pocket extending in the same general direction from the labial or'buccal wall of the socket and into the incisal portion of incisors and into the bucco-ocolusal portion of the molars and bicuspids, said pocket being of rhomboidal form in a labio-palatal direction with the labio-cervical angle thereof rounded and ovoid in a mesio-distal direction, and a mounting having a head of a shape corresponding to'that of the socket to fit within the latter and a dowel permanently fixed to the head and extending into the-pocket, said dowel in outline being of the same form as the pocket and constructed of resilient materail and having holes therein whereby when the dowel is forced into the pocket Where the latter previously has been filled with cement the dowel is first compressed and then expands forcing the cement inwardly through the holes filling the space Within the dowel so that when set it maintains the dowel expanded and thereby locks the dowel within the pocket.

, JOHN K. BISHOP. 

